Orao

Chapter 2

      Mali opened her eyes, she had found herself outside of town. A maple tree hid her from the golden rays of the sun. She felt exhausted and knew not how she had gotten there. "Sova? Oni?" her voice was light in a whisper. Where was she? Pain shot through her as she raised her body from the forest floor.

      She wrapped her dark cloak around her. Scratches had appeared on her arms as if overnight. You could almost see the gears working in her brain as she thought about what had happened the night before. If one could see, they would only view a blank slate. Forcing one foot in front of the other, she slowly began to make her way to the gate. Thanking the gods that it was close. Oni should be there!

      Once she reached there she spotted a guard, it was Oni! They waved at her with a smile. "Mali," their voice was deep and held worry. "We missed you last night," as she drew closer she could see the relief Oni felt. Looking down at their hand, she spotted the blue cord wound around her wrist. She smiled and mentally corrected herself, Antoni.

      "I am sorry, I do not know what happened," her voice was quiet and revealed the fear she felt. She gave him a sad smile, "Tonight, I promise,". There was no need to make him worried at work. That would do nobody any good.

      He gave a soft smile, and then he turned to walk over to her. "Tonight, all three of us," once he reached her, he welcomed her in a hug. The embrace was warm and familiar, exactly what she needed.

      She nodded, keeping her voice calm "I am sorry Antoni". She would inform him and Sova of what happened tonight. They would find out why this had been happening. She knew that it had to be stopped, else life would be increasingly harder. "I will be heading home," she said with a smile as they parted from the warm embrace. "Have a wonderful day at work!". This time it was a true smile. The hug had lifted her spirits.

     Antoni shook his head a bit, "Remember you never have to say sorry to me about something like this". She nodded, he always knew what to say, just one of the multiple reasons she loved him. "Sova should be at home, she will be worried," he looked at her closely, "May I?". Mali nodded in response. She could feel Antoni's dry fingers lift her chin and then the warm, gentle kiss he placed upon her lips.

     She smiled once they had departed, "I love you". She reached out and hugged him once more. "And thank you," she wondered if he knew how much he meant to her. Antoni had saved each of them by bringing all three of them together. Without them, she knew that she would not be here. There would have been no way she could of become who she had alone.

     "I love you too, darling," his smile warmed her insides. "Tell Sova I love her when you see her," he paused for a moment, "And let her dote on you today. She was worried sick and needs some time". They both knew what he meant. Mali had begun to expect an avalanche of love, worry, and a bit of anger when she arrived. However, it did not bother her. She had grown to love this part of Sova.

     "I will," she said. As she parted from Antoni, she made her way inside the town. She made sure to take the winding back streets to their place. Those who had not spotted her yesterday at the festivals would wonder where she had gone. Tonight, all three of them would have to create a story on why she had not joined. It sickened her to lie like this, but there was no other way.

     She stopped as she came to rest in front of a door with the words 'Zuta' written in silver letters. Grabbing the handle, she took a deep breath as she pushed it open. Waiting for the showering of love from her dearest Sova.